God's Gift Economy

‘I work for life’s lovers.’ A striking phrase, from someone who is herself a lover of life. Lily Cole, the young model, actress and environmental campaigner who holds a Double First in art history from Cambridge and an honorary Doctor of Letters from Glasgow Caledonian University, and is the inspiration behind impossible.com, the new concept in social media. People can post their ‘impossible’ wishes on the site; others indicate what they are prepared to offer, and so wishes are fulfilled – for free.

Nelson Mandela’s famous words may have inspired the new site’s name. ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’ We’ve been reminded recently that though others besides Mandela contributed to the peaceful transition from apartheid in South Africa, it was his personality and vision, his conviction that all obstacles could be overcome which ultimately unlocked the door of change.

As a new year begins, many of us long for positive change – in our world, our communities, our personal circumstances, our relationships. Yet we wonder if change in these areas is simply an impossible dream, and sometimes come close to letting go our fragile grasp of hope.

Lily Cole is committed to promoting change from the grass-roots up as people catch the vision of what’s known as the ‘gift economy’ – where people help others, expecting nothing immediate in return other than the satisfaction of making a difference. She takes a very positive view of human nature. ‘I’m doing it,’ she says, ‘because I believe people are naturally generous and that’s the kind of world I want to be in more often.’

A friend, Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia (a prime example of the ‘gift economy’ in action, with 80,000 volunteer contributors) claims of Lily Cole that she has ‘a deep understanding of what in fact makes up a huge part of human life: doing nice things for each other with no expectation of any particular return.’

The currency on impossible.com is ‘thankfulness,’ which Cole describes as ‘an abundant currency’ you can ‘earn but not spend.’

Naïve? Wildly romantic? Impossible, even? So it may seem, especially to those of us who are deeply aware of the self-centredness at the core of our being. Yet I am inspired by Lily Cole’s deeply thought-through, widely-researched vision of the grass-roots change which is energised when people are inspired and empowered to help others.

I have no idea what Lily Cole’s spiritual beliefs are, but some of her insights very much reflect the teaching of Jesus. She says, for example, ‘I do think there’s a real freedom that can come with having less and sharing more.’  

All of which emphasises to me that there are people in our communities  - people of all beliefs and none – who live exemplary lives, caring for and helping others, working for the good of their communities and the environment. In terms of practical care and commitment to change for the better they are better Christians than some of us who are Christians.

Which is a challenge to us. We believe that God’s Spirit prompts, motivates and empowers us to show the love of Jesus in our communities in powerful ways. Yet some of us grow inward-looking, seeking to preserve our traditions, arguing over doctrine and church government, taking shelter behind the encircling wagons of our cherished convictions, or believing that the world is doomed and there’s little point in trying to change it.

Somewhere along the line we have lost the freedom to go out in God’s name to make the world new.

Maybe it’s just as well that God doesn’t only work through Christians. I believe strongly that people who love life, who seek to help others, who yearn for a better society have seen a vision (though they may not discern its source) of the change God dreams of, the social transformation which Jesus called God’s Kingdom.

Impossible things happen precisely because the Spirit of God is active in God’s world, melting human hearts, sweeping obstacles away. For God is life’s greatest lover, God who works not just for life’s lovers, but for those who in cynicism and hatred conspire against life. God calls all of us to be changed, and then to be the change. And God makes change possible.

Throughout 2014, may we as Christians be sensitive to God’s whisper, working alongside all who share the vision of the impossible made possible, working in many small acts of kindness, in many wise and empathic words. May our words and actions point to the divine source of the vision.

May we understand that God’s economy is a gift economy, for when we grasp that divine blessings cannot be earned we realise how freely those blessings are given. And may we be lavish spenders of the currency of thankfulness.

Happy New Year!

(Christian Viewpoint column from the Highland News dated  2nd January 2014)